Lithic raw material circulation and settlement dynamics in the Upper Palaeolithic of the Venetian Prealps (NE Italy). A key-role for palaeoclimatic and landscape changes across the LGM?

The Venetian Prealps preserve one of the richest archives relating to prehistoric human settlement in the Southern Alps. Our study focused on the lithic assemblages from some main Upper Palaeolithic sites of this area in order to investigate the raw materials procurement behavior of Modern Humans throughout time. Climate changes between MIS 3 and MIS 2 played an important role by affecting human settlement and life-styles. Modern Humans arrived in north-eastern Italy around 42 kyrs cal BP attesting an almost exclusive exploitation of regional lithic resources with few evidence (1%) of mid-distance procurement. In the Gravettian record, that is only preserved in the Lessini mountains and Berici hills, exploited cherts are exclusively local, with procurement distances never exceeding 40 km. A lack of data marks the period between ca. 28 and 24 kyrs cal BP while a sharp climatic and environmental change characterizes the LGM. During this period, Late Gravettian and Early Epigravettian assemblages are documented only in the eastern Berici hills and are represented by occasional hunting stands. Most of the exploited lithic raw materials come from the Umbria-Marches Apennines, attesting displacements of more than 250 km. Similar environmental conditions persisted until the early Lateglacial even if a climate improvement is attested since around 18.5 kyrs cal BP. At Riparo Tagliente a few Umbria-Marches Apennines cherts are still attested between ca. 17 and 15 kyrs cal BP, represented by retouched tools, a few cores and some maintenance and production blanks, within a lithic assemblage mostly realized on local (Lessini) cherts. Climate amelioration, followed by a rapid diffusion of forest environments across the Po plain is documented after 14.5 yrs cal BP. In connection with this widespread afforestation the importation of long distance Apennines cherts ceases and the sites of the Venetian area undergo a “regionalization” process marked by the exclusive exploitation of local resources.